What Weddings Can Lead To
by DarkDreamer56
Summary: NS Post ep to Rashomama


Title: What Weddings Can Lead To  
Author: DarkDreamer56  
Archive: If you want it, ask please!  
Rating: T  
Pairing: N/S  
Disclaimer: Oh, if I owned them, the staff would consist of me, Julie, and Claire, and we'd get Snickery goodness and continuity all the time  
Spoilers: through "Rashomama" (6x21)

A/N: This is a post ep for "Rashomama." I wondered, among other things, whether Nick would attempt to drive his truck home, and the plot kind of sprung from there. Plus, with all the spoilers that were floating around about the finale, I needed some Snickery goodness to share. And now that I've seen it, I think we could all use some Nick/Sara fluff right about now.

* * *

Nick wasn't expecting to find Sara still at the lab by the time he finished up with Internal Affairs, but there she was, curled up in one corner of the break room couch, arms folded and her head resting in the back corner.

"Hey Sar, why don't you go home?" Nick smiled as her eyes fluttered open at the sound of his voice.

"I was waiting for you," she murmured, wiping sleep out of her eyes. "I figured you probably wouldn't want to drive your truck home."

"And hear I thought you just needed my hands again."

"Hmm, yeah, you wish." Sara smirked as she stretched her arms above her head, revealing a small expanse of abdomen. Nick couldn't help but let his eyes linger on the skin revealed. With all of the crappiness of losing his truck and all of the evidence inside, and then the subsequent wait for Internal Affairs, he couldn't deny that it had been made easier having Sara around. He'd had fun teasing her about flirting on the job, and even having some of that flirting directed at him. Plus, she hadn't complained nearly s much as Greg about losing the evidence.

"Hey, you said it, not me. Can I help it if I have good hands?" Nick teased, pleased to see a blush paint itself across her cheeks as he waggled his eyebrows for effect. Truth be told, he wouldn't mind showing Sara exactly what he could do with his hands, but he hadn't quite gotten up the courage to ask her out yet.

"So, do you want a ride, or do you want to drive that hideous thing home?" She sat up, crossing her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

Nick grimaced. "So I take it, you've seen my truck." The look that crossed her face indicated that she had. "Can you imagine if I parked that thing in my driveway?" Nick shuddered at the image of it sitting at home."

"You want the ride then?"

"Please."

Ten minutes later, Nick and Sara walked out into the late afternoon Vegas sunshine and out to Sara's car. She unlocked the vehicle and Nick climbed into the passenger seat. It took Sara a minute to walk around the driver's side, giving Nick some time to contemplate.

He couldn't say he was completely surprised by Sara's views on weddings, but it made him sad to think about why exactly she held those views. He knew Grissom had hurt her, though he didn't know the exact details, and Hank had done some damage too; those were only two men that Nick actually knew about. Nick was certain that Sara sold herself short in the relationship department, and he couldn't help but wonder how much her negative views on weddings and marriage in general stemmed from the fact that she figured she would never meet anyone that would consider marrying her.

"Ready to head home?" Sara's voice interrupted his thoughts, and he looked over to see her adjusting her seat belt and smiling at him.

"Have been for about twenty-four hours now."

Sara chuckled as she pulled out of the crime lab parking lot and towards Nick's neighborhood. The first part of the drive was made in a comfortable silence, the only noise emanating from the radio playing classic rock after Sara swatted Nick's hand away from the preset dials. A few months ago, Nick had switched one of her presets from the local talk radio to country, and he was surprised that she still hadn't changed it back. Nick laid his head back against the headrest and let Pink Floyd filter through.

"You know, I'm really not against weddings…" Sara interrupted again. Nick opened his eyes, noticing that they were about halfway to his place.

He tried to keep the smile off his face; he had enjoyed talking to Sara about weddings, and now it seemed that conversation would continue.

"You just seem to have a very strong opinion on weddings there Sar…nothing wrong with that."

"It's not necessarily the weddings…it's just what they turn into. All the planning, and compromising, and scheduling for something that most people lose sight of the real meaning of. What did you say? _A public declaration_ _of love_. What's the point when you don't even have time to pee?"

Nick chuckled. He'd seen his fair share of big weddings with all of his sisters, and he knew the craziness they could produce. But somehow, each of them had come together in a beautiful, momentous day for each of his sisters. "I don't know, I think you can have a big wedding and not lose the meaning of it."

Sara turned to smile briefly at Nick before turning her attention back to the road. "But you're doing it for everyone else. You don't need a full church, or a bunch of dim witted bridesmaids to make a commitment to someone."

Nick was beginning to get the bigger picture; he didn't have all the details, but he had gathered from years of working with Sara that she hadn't had the happiest childhood, and that she didn't really speak much with her family. Add that to her less than social status outside of the lab, and that led to a pretty small pool of potential wedding guests. "So you'd rather pull a Warrick and Tina?" He wasn't sure why he was compelled to continue this conversation, but as long as Sara wasn't getting defensive, he would see where it would end up.

Sara rolled her eyes. "I think there's a lot of room between a huge, no frills spared wedding, and eloping at a drive thru wedding chapel on the Strip."

"Yeah, there's always the Intergalactic Chapel of Love." Nick couldn't resist bringing up the case he and Sara had investigated that had led them to visit several wedding chapels, including the alien themed.

"Uh, no. Aliens, Elvis's, and mobsters are right up there with drive thrus. And speaking of…for a man that has such a romantic, idealistic view about weddings, you couldn't deny it fast enough when that alien priest asked if we were married. Was it marriage in general, or just me?"

Nick could feel his face redden as he chuckled nervously. He hadn't been expecting Sara to bring that up. He had definitely been thrown a loop when that alien priest had asked if he and Sara were married. Despite the fact that he was nearly certain the guy was trying to generate business, Nick had been worried that the alien priest had picked up on something that Nick hadn't even talked to Sara about. He couldn't deny that his thoughts hadn't wandered to the subject once in awhile. Of course, he'd have to get up the courage to ask her out before thoughts like marriage would even become an issue.

"I was just, uh, surprised that he brought it up. Just trying to drum up business I guess."

Sara smirked and regarded him for a moment as they waited for the red light to change. "Hmm…yeah. That explains the deer caught in headlights expression on your face."

"Hey, you weren't exactly rushing to ask the good reverend for a time slot," Nick threw back. "Should I be insulted?" Still, they both were smiling, and Nick was wondering how receptive Sara would be to him asking her out. She was the one that kept bringing up weddings, and she had also been the one to remind him of the alien priest.

Things had been especially good between the two of them the past few weeks, and Nick wasn't sure how much longer he could wait before someone else beat him to the punch. Sara had been happy lately, happier than he had ever seen her, laughing and smiling again. He was sure other people had noticed it, and now that Sara seemed to finally be over Grissom and the past issues that had been plaguing her, there would be plenty of guys jumping at the chance to be with her. "This is a lot of talk about marriage for two people that have never even dated."

Sara blushed, but only replied cryptically with, "I suppose you're right." She pulled into Nick's driveway, putting the car into park.

Nick knew it was now or never. "Go out with me?"

Even though it was the question that this entire conversation had been leading to, Sara still seemed surprised when the words actually left Nick's mouth. Truth be told, he had been somewhat surprised he had been able to say them after years of wanting to.

"What?"

Nick knew he couldn't back track, and he realized he didn't really want too. Life was too short, and he was pretty sure that with the way things had been between him and Sara, that she would say yes. He turned towards her with a resolved smile on his face.

"I asked if you would go out with me. On a date. You know, dinner, dancing, you wearing a sexy dress trying to impress me…let's see if we can't work our way to some little chapel far, far away from the Strip." Her eyes locked on his as he reached out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear, and Nick felt like he was going to burst.

A smile spread across Sara's face, and he heard her whisper the words, "I thought you'd never ask," just before her lips brushed against his.

FIN.


End file.
